TSA Not Joking Around Anymore

A passenger at Bush recently recorded the loudspeaker message and posted it online. “Any inappropriate remarks or jokes concerning security may result in your arrest,” it says.

So what happened to freedom of speech?

“They have arbitrarily decided they're going to remove any constitutional protections from inside the airport so they can do anything they want to, and there's really no recourse,” says longtime TSA critic Jay Stang.

“I think it does intimidate people, but at the same time I think the courts uphold the government's right to detain and investigate,” he tells KTRH News. “I do not believe however, just based on idle jokes or idle comments, that's enough to charge a person with a crime.”

Treece says while you may miss your flight, there's no way a judge would throw you in jail. You still have rights, he says.

“They can stop you and interrogate you based on whatever comments you've made,” he says. “Its another thing to file a criminal complaint and prosecute you.”